Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Cerulean Pen
Summary: She only wanted a chance. After years of delivering packages, this was her only chance to show Cloudsdale her talents. But there was always something in the way: two things, actually.


Nothing Gold Can Stay

Summary: She only wanted a chance. After years of delivering packages, this was her only chance to show Cloudsdale her talents. But there was always something in the way: two things, actually.

English Hurt/Comfort/Friendship Rated: T Chapters:1 Words: Derpy Hooves/Ditzy Doo

**7:00 a.m.**

Today. Today is the day.

With every beat of her wings, the smoky gray pegasus repeated the mantra in her mind: _today is the day, today is the day, today is the day. _She mumbled it as she fetched the mail, as she removed a steaming tray of muffins from the oven, as she awoke her two daughters. When her precious little muffins lethargically shuffled into the kitchen, she was forced to pause the phrase so she could smile down at them. "Good morning!"

"'Morning, Mommy," Dinky said with a grin, her eyes widening at the sight of her favorite treats cooling on the counter. "Ooh, muffins!" As partial to the pastry as her mother, she scrambled to her chair, prepared to dig right in. Her older, adopted sister, Sparkler, could scarcely stay on four hooves she was so tired and she yawned instead of greeting her mother.

"Now, sweeties, do you remember what today is?" Derpy Hooves inquired, serving breakfast to the two fillies. Dinky squinted at the lightly iced surface of her muffin, struggling to recall what made the Tuesday so special. Sparkler peeled the paper off her own treat with magic and tilted her head to Derpy, the corners of her mouth turning up.

"The Best Young Flyer Competition…you're entering again this year, Mom," Sparkler said, her jewel eyes gleaming. "Mom, you're going to do great today. You've delivered packages during blizzards. You're gonna win for sure, right Dinky?"

"YEAH!" the petite unicorn piped, spraying crumbs across the table and her mother. With an adoring smile, Derpy picked up a napkin to swipe the mess off Dinky's maw, kissing her snout. While her heart melted at her enthusiasm, a pit was beginning to form her stomach at the thought of what had to come next. "Can I skip school to come watch you, Mommy?"

The mare touched ground, anxiously gnawing on her lower lip. Explaining to Dinky that unicorns could not visit Cloudsdale would break her little heart…"Honey, I don't think skipping school is such a good idea…and, uh, I'll be back to pick you up this afternoon. Don't worry, Dinky. I'll tell you everything about my day, even if we have to stay up past your bed time."

Dinky's crestfallen expression immediately brightened once the idea of listening to stories past her bedtime was brought up. She nodded, eating the last of her muffin and leaping off the chair to gather her schoolbooks. After she was gone, Derpy collapsed to her own chair. Sparkler eyed her mother and took another bite, washing it down with orange juice.

"That was a pretty good excuse, Mom."

Derpy Hooves sighed, training at least one of her eyes to focus on the mauve unicorn. "Sparkler, you know I can't tell her that she can't come today. And you know too. Please don't say anything about it to her. I already had to lie to her this week about town hall."

"Hey, Mom, that isn't your fault. Just because your sense of direction is a little off doesn't make you any less of a pony. In fact, you're the coolest pony in all of Equestria. If the Wonderbolts don't think that, well…they're just stupid." She trotted over to Derpy, pecking her cheek and nuzzling her affectionately. "I love you, Mom. Good luck today."

The pegasus swallowed around the lump in her throat, watching Sparkler pull her saddlebags onto her flanks. Nothing made her happier or sadder than hearing her children tell her that they loved her. If everypony could love everypony else like they loved each other, nothing remotely terrible would ever happen.

"Bye, Mommy," Dinky called as she followed Sparkler down the walkway leading from their cottage. Derpy hastily took position in the doorway, forcing her eyes to watch the two foals all the way down the street. Along the way, they came across Scootaloo and Twist, and she could hear their voices even after they disappeared over the horizon.

Her out of place eyes began to water, and Derpy was so flustered that she crashed into a potted plant on her way back inside. A neighbor noticed her trouble and lifted his head from the morning newspaper. "Are you all right, Derpy?"

The mare lifted her head from the shards, a film of tears covering her golden eyes, and nodded. _Today is the day. Nothing will go wrong._

**9:00 a.m.**

By the look of her specially made clock, it was time to go. The numbers on the face had been enlarged so Derpy could perceive them if she happened to be having a bad day. Sometimes, her vision would fuzz and dim, but not today. Despite the odd quivering in her stomach, Derpy had never felt better. She locked the windows and the front door, double checking that the latch held firmly. Taking a deep breath, she spread out her sleek, powerful wings, taking off into the sky.

Below her, Derpy could see Ponyville, almost everypony carrying out their morning duties. The delivery ponies had already left, recognizable by the navy caps and tote bags bulging with packages around their necks. Derpy had almost never missed a day of work, which meant using today as a vacation day barely effected her schedule. Still, she would miss seeing her friends on her route. Twilight and Pinkie and Lyra and that nice brown stallion who always had packages marked "private!"

The Cloudeseum cast an enormous shadow over all ground below it, the gigantic form blotting out the sun. Derpy Hooves could only gaze at the structure and swallow, glad she hadn't eaten breakfast. Peguasi from almost every region of Equestria flew around her, a frenetic mass of beating wings and squirming forelegs. _Are all of these ponies really competing? Gee…I hope not._

Derpy followed the mass into a lobby that was the equal size of her cottage and decorated grander than the Gala ballroom. A banner strung above them read "Welcome all Best Young Flyer competitors!" The message cheered her up a bit. If they welcomed her, then there wasn't much to be concerned about. Derpy stood a little straighter, composing a confident mien that was negated by the way she bumped into other ponies.

_Come on, focus. Don't let your eyes mess you up today. _Straining, Derpy brought her legs all together, using only her wings to navigate through the lobby to the sign-in desk. A gum-snapping mare with a curly mane was sitting behind the counter and she didn't even look up when Derpy approached her. "Name, please."

"Derpy Hooves!" she exclaimed proudly. The mare scanned her list, scribbled something down, and slid an adhesive square of paper over to Derpy. The number was thirteen. She began to panic: thirteen was the most unlucky number of all, she couldn't be number thirteen! "Um…can I be a different number?"

Finally, the pegasus glanced at the competitor, a strange expression creasing her visage. "Oh…well, I guess that's all right." She took the previous paper back, rummaged through the pile on her desk, and handed Derpy a forty six. "Here ya go, hon. And sweetie…" She lay her hoof on Derpy's own, sympathy dripping from every word. "Just try your hardest, okay?"

Grinning, Derpy bobbed her head up and down, her blonde mane sweeping over her face. "Yes, ma'am!" She saluted the receptionist before parading down the corridors leading to the pre-show waiting arena, the dressing rooms, and second waiting area. As the walls began to slant, Derpy Hooves found herself surrounded by ponies on every side, which sparked her nerves. Crowds were not her favorite: there was deafening noise, mingling voices, a million overheated bodies writhing like tentacles in the narrowest caverns imaginable. In her panic, one of her forelegs shot out, hoof coming in sharp contact with a stallion's flank.

"Miss!" he cried furiously, spinning around to face the trembling mare. "Try something like that again and I'll see it that you'll never fly in another competition." He hovered higher, leaving Derpy on the ground as the other peguasi rushed like ocean water all around her.

"I-I didn't…mean to," she whispered to nopony, staring at her hooves. To her horror, Derpy's vision began to blur around the edges, so she swiftly covered her eyes with her hooves. "No. No. Don't panic, don't let your eyes bother you." Sniffling, she rejoined the throngs, letting the consistent flow carry her to the pre-show arena. Here, there was much more space, so ponies familiar with each one another branched out to chat.

Derpy Hooves trudged to a vacant corner, where she could gaze at the Wonderbolts posters alone. The glossy depiction of the flying team was stunning, the artist having captured each hair and cloud perfectly. One day…one day, she would be alongside them, with goggles to hide her wall-eyes and a lustrous suit. Oh…all she ever wanted. Derpy Hooves the Wonderbolt.

"Hey, Derpy."

The gray pegasus turned around to find one of her friends, Rainbow Dash, fluttering towards her, chromatic mane brushed back down her neck. "Hi, Rainbow Dash! Are you competing too?" Derpy implored with a smile. She would feel much better if she could spend time with somepony she knew until the competition began.

"Competing? If that's what they call winning nowadays, then yeah!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, although she was quivering with internal earthquakes. "I…didn't know you were into competitive flying. Thought you were too busy with the mail-carrying business."

"I like to do that, but I really wanna be a Wonderbolt!" Derpy rose on her wings, posing in a similar fashion to Spitfire. Rainbow Dash managed a weak grin, wondering how Derpy could think she would become a Wonderbolt. Peguasi like Derpy Hooves did not become famous athletes. But she would never say anything along those lines. Rainbow Dash didn't have the heart to.

"Well, that's…pretty cool. Anyway, I'm thirteen, so I've got to go get ready. But I'll see you after the contest, okay?" The cyan mare was about to proceed through the double doors, but was halted by a yank at her tail.

"Here." Derpy peeled her number from her flanks, lifting her chin and holding it out like an offering to a deity. "Switch with me. Thirteen is bad luck." Rainbow Dash landed inches away from her friend, discerning the genuine distress glinting in her golden eyes. Slowly, she plucked the paper off her multihued lightning bolt, exchanging it for forty-six. "Good luck, Rainbow Dash. I hope you do another Sonic Rainboom!"

Rainbow Dash disguised the muffled sob threatening to escape her with a cough, vision shifting. "Yeah, me too." She patted the mare on the shoulder and waited until she had vanished with the masses to allow a tear to roll down her cheek.

**9:45 a.m.**

Derpy Hooves paced lightly in her dressing room, catching her eyes in the mirror whenever she passed it. Leaning forward, she attempted to train them on a single point. The results were only temporary: in a matter of seconds, one pupil lazily drifted to the ceiling, while the other had a sudden fixation with the wall.

_Maybe I should stop pacing and get into the second waiting area. I don't need to keep worrying about this. _Derpy opened the door and peered into the scope, which was smaller than the first and had a gaping space leading to the stadium. The first and second contestant had already left, the third waiting impatiently at the designated spot.

"Hey, are you the mail mare?" A soft blue mare with wavy white hair that almost reached the floor approached Derpy. Flushing, Derpy nodded and the anonymous pegasus matched her pace, appearing to be surprised by this fact. "Wow, I've seen you everyday and I just now recognized you! I'm Watercolors, by the way, nice to meet you!"

"I'm…Ditzy. Ditzy Doo." Cold fear mutilated her lungs, preventing all intake of oxygen. Why had she lied like that? Ditzy Doo was her mother's name. Was she…ashamed her real name reflected the odd position of her eyes? She gulped in spite of herself, turning her head so Watercolors could not see how strange she was.

"I'm going up next, but I just wanted to wish you luck. You seem really nice. Much nicer than the other pony I tried to wish good luck. He told me I was lying." Watercolors glided over to the checkpoint, her lengthy mane swishing like a curtain around her body. "Well, bye Ditzy!" The mare waved and, without a single sound, was into the blue.

**9:47 a.m.**

Derpy Hooves was panicking. There were just eight more ponies ahead of her. Images of her two beautiful daughters flashed whenever she blinked.

**9:48 a.m.**

Five ponies. Her feathers were itching, worse than when she crashed into poison ivy and had to not scratch for two weeks.

**9:59 a.m.**

She could feel the breeze on her face, drying the perspiration beading on her forehead.

**10:01 a.m.**

Derpy jumped.

**10:14 a.m.**

The pre-show waiting arena now doubled as a holding area for the participants while the votes were tallied. Rainbow Dash entered a champion, her rose eyes blazing with victory that was displayed through a couple of cheers and a procession of admirers. Watercolors maneuvered through the assembly, searching for Ditzy, whom had not been seen since her performance.

"Ditzy, Ditzy!" The cornflower pegasus searched every face, but none resembled the one she had spoke to minutes before. Her stomach gave an uneasy lurch: had she run off after what happened? Watercolors came to the corner where one of her pieces, an top view of the Wonderbolts, hung and found Ditzy/Derpy beneath it. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you."

The mare did not so much as bat an eyelash at Watercolors. Her eyes were closed, blonde strands sprayed across her forehead. She looked…peaceful in the sunlight, beautiful even. Watercolors crouched down to Derpy's level, silent so she wouldn't startle her. "Ditzy…you were the best flyer out there. Everypony knows it."

Unaccustomed to hearing her mother's name in place of hers, Derpy almost didn't respond. Eventually, she shifted, lifted one eyelid so her eyes would appear ordinary. "I guess so. But everypony knows Rainbow Dash won the competition." She leaned back, folding her wings like curtains to her bubble-spotted flanks.

"That's only because Rainbow Dash thinks she won the competition. All those ponies would cut off their left ear if Rainbow Dash said it was cool. You, on the other hoof, were amazing. You didn't have to brag about it, or do some showy trick. Ditzy, you were the best. I'd be surprised if you didn't get a Wonderbolts acceptance letter right now." Watercolors got to her hooves, awaiting another reply. When none arrived, she gradually spread her wings and flew away.

"They will never let me…because I'm different."

**10:47 a.m.**

"Fillies and gentle colts! I am proud to announce the winner of this year's Best Young Flyer Competition, Rainbow Dash!"

Confetti and steamer blizzards overtake the Cloudeseum, which pulsates from the shrieks of hundreds of spectators. Derpy Hooves watched her friend get crowned and, once again, approached by Princess Celestia, who was flanked by the Elements of Harmony. They were nice. They never said anything mean about her. Still…there was still something in her, something black and nasty. Jealousy.

_I tried my hardest, Sparkler. I wanted to win, and I tried my hardest. _Derpy Hooves swiped at her tears, shedding the unlucky number glued to her flank. Even though she had felt terrific when she did it, Derpy pondered why she traded numbers with Rainbow Dash. Maybe that was what made her win…maybe she should have kept it.

Derpy glided above the winner's circle, her heart transforming into a mentally insane hummingbird that slammed against the iron lock bars of her ribcage. There were only three of them, only three. She rested a yard or so away from Spitfire, who put her conversation with Fleetwood on hold when she ascertained Derpy. "Oh, hey there. You're Derpy Hooves, right? You performed really well today."

"Thank you, ma'am," Derpy said politely, even though their difference in age was slight. "Um…I just wanted to come and say that, uh, I'm a really big fan."

"It's always nice to meet a fan," Spitfire chuckled, extending her hoof for Derpy to shake. The gray pegasus kept her foreleg rigid, concentrating on not letting it twitch when she touched Spitfire's latex-adorned hoof. "And I meant to tell you, that quadruple barrel roll you did? Pure genius. Textbook perfection."

Derpy blushed, extremely conscious of how one eye was sliding over to view the remainder of the Cloudeseum. "Thank you, ma'am. I came over here to, um, ask you something." She inhaled, stirring the clouds beneath her with her left hoof. "What-what are the chances of me becoming a…Wonderbolt?"

The last word echoed like a gunshot in her ears and Derpy's hopes crash-landed to the ground below when Spitfire's mouth became a single line. "Oh, oh, um, wow. There's…a lot to do to become a Wonderbolt, you know? Auditions…uh, paperwork, lots of time. And you're an amazing flier. Really. It's just…" Spitfire sighed and lay a hoof on Derpy's shoulder, the other lifting her goggles up.

"Look. You're talented, Derpy. Really talented. But…I don't think being a Wonderbolt is the right…career for you. It's a lot of work and we need somepony who can do a lot. A strong pony. One who doesn't have…health problems. And don't get me wrong Derpy, don't stop dreaming. Just…don't let your dreams lead you somewhere wrong." She mustered a sad smile, and in a flash of navy, orange, and butter yellow, she was alongside Rainbow Dash.

Derpy Hooves settled back on the cloud, gazing at the vacant spot Spitfire had just been standing in. What made her angry was not her bluntness, her pity, or the fact she thought her eyes made her stupid.

It was the fact Spitfire's left eye wasn't looking right at her.


End file.
